Author: Joseph H. Jackson

Born in Rudyard, Mississippi, Joseph Harrison Jackson (1905–90) was the longest serving president of the National Baptist Convention, USA, which he headed from 1953 until 1982. As president, Jackson often clashed with other members of the Convention, arguing against the civil disobedience methods for securing civil rights advocated by Martin Luther King Jr. in favor of a commitment to law and order. Partly as a result of this disagreement, in 1961, King and others broke from the NBC to form the Progressive National Baptist Convention. Jackson also served as pastor of Olivet Baptist Church in Chicago, which he led from 1941 until his death in 1990.

Joseph H. Jackson

Not all African American leaders interested in advancing the cause of African Americans approved of Martin Luther King Jr.’s strategies of direct action and civil disobedience. A highly prominent example, now almost forgotten, was the Reverend Joseph H. Jackson (1905?–90).